Physiology and Pharmacology Flashcards
what is the purpose of sphincters?
keep food moving aborally, prevent it from going the wrong way
what are the accessory structures of the digestive system?
salivary glands
pancreas
the liver and the gall bladder (hepatobiliarry system)
what are the 4 main digestive processes?
motility
secretion
digestion
absorption
what are the 3 types of mechanical activity within the GI system?
propulsive movements
mixing movements
tonic contractions
what are the 2 groups within secretions in the GI tract?
digestive secretions
protective secretions
what is the process of digestion?
biochemical breakdown of complex foodstuffs into smaller, absorbable units
what type of enzymes break down carbohydrates?
amylases and diasaccharidases
what type of enzymes break down proteins?
proteases and dipeptidases
what type of enzymes break down fats?
lipases
what is absorption within the GI tract?
transfer of absorbable products of digestion (+ water, electrolytes and vitamins) from the digestive tract to the blood or lymph
what are the 4 main layers of the digestive tract wall?
mucosa
submucosa
muscularis externa
serosa
what does the mucosa of the GI tract consist of?
epithelial cells exocrine cells endocrine gland cells lamina propria muscularis mucosa
what does lamina propria of the mucosa of the GI tract consist of?
capillaries,
enteric neurones,
immune cells
what does the submucosa of the GI tract consist of?
connective tissue
larger blood and lymph vessels
sub mucous plexus (nerve network)
what does the muscularis externa of the GI tract comprise of?
circular muscle layer myenteric plexus (nerve network) longitudinal muscle layer
what does the serosa of the GI tract comprise of?
connective tissue
which of the GI sphincters are made of skeletal muscle?
upper oesophagus sphincter
external anal sphincter
what does contraction of the circular muscle of the muscularis externa do to the GI tract?
lumen becomes narrower and longer
what does contraction of the longitudinal muscle in the muscularis externa do in the GI tract?
tract becomes shorter and fatter
what does contraction of the muscularis mucosa do to the GI tract?
causes changes in the absorptive and secretory area of mucosa
how are adjacent smooth muscle cells coupled in order to allow the spread of electrical currents?
by gap junctions
what 3 things modulate the spontaneous activity of the smooth muscle of the GI tract?
intrinsic nerves- enteric
extrinsic nerves- autonomic
hormones
what type of spontaneous electrical activity occurs in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine?
slow waves
what are the pacemaker cells within the stomach, small intestine and large intestine which drive the slow wave electrical activity?
interstitial cells of Cajal
what has to happen for a slow wave in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine to cause an action potential?
slow wave has to meet the threshold
what is force of contraction of the smooth muscle within the GI tract related to?
the number of action potentials discharged
ie the length of time that the slow wave was above threshold
where are interstitial cells of Cajal located?
- between longitudinal and circular muscle layers
- submucosa
when does slow wave activity in the GI tract generally remain in the background and not reach thresholds?
between meals
what is the basic electrical rhythm (BER) of the GI tract determined by?
slow wave
what are the factors which determine whether a slow wave amplitude reaches threshold/for how long it remains above threshold?
neuronal stimuli
hormonal stimuli
mechanical stimuli
using basic electrical rhythm (BER), explain why chyme moves from oral to aboral direction within the small intestine?
higher BER in the duodenum than the terminal ileum
more vigorous mechanical activity proximally pushes food distally in the small intestine
using the basic electrical rhythm (BER), explain why the colon is able to hold contents for a long period of time?
higher BER in the distal colon than the proximal colon
(more vigorous actiivty distally favours retention of luminal contents(
why is it important that the colon holds food for a long period of time?
to allow for absorption of enough water and electrolytes
what neurones is the enteric nervous system made of?
sensory neurones
interneurones
effector neurones
where are the ganglia that the parasympathetic supply to the GI tract synapse at?
within the ENS
what excitatory influences does parasympathetic supply to GI tract have?
increases secretions
increases blood flow
generally increases smooth muscle contraction
what inhibitory influences does parasympathetic supply to the GI tract have?
relaxation of some sphincters
receptive relaxation of stomach
where are the ganglia that the sympathetic supply to the GI tract synapse at?
prevertebra ganglia
what inhibitory influences does the sympathetic supply to the GI tract have?
decreased motility
decreased secretions
decreased blood flow
what triggers the receptive relaxation of the stomach?
food entering the oesophagus
where does the sensory neurone synapse with the interneurone in a local reflex of the GI tract?
within the myenteric plexus or submucous plexus
where does the sensory neurone synapse with the interneurone in a short reflex of the GI tract?
at a preverterbal ganglion
where does the sensory neurone synapse with the interneurons in a long reflex of the GI tract?
at a dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus in the medulla oblongota
what type of GI reflex is peristalsis?
local reflex (intrinsic)
what type of GI reflex is a interstino-intestinal inhibitory reflex?
short reflex
what type of GI rexles is a gastroileal reflex?
long reflex
what is the gastroileal reflex?
occurs when food enters the stomach causing vigorous mechanical activity in the stomach.
this sends a reflex response to cause contraction of the ileum to remove the previous food remnants from the small intestine
what is peristalsis?
an orderly wave of contraction (squeeze from behind bolus, relax in front) to push food in the aboral direction
what is peristalsis reflexively triggered by?
distension of the gut wall
what 2 neurotransmitters released from an inhibitory motoneurone cause smooth muscle within the muscularis externa to relax?
VIP (vasoactive peptide)
NO (nitrate)
what neurotransmitter released from an excitatory motoneurone causes smooth muscle within the muscularis externa to contract?
ACh
in peristalsis, what do the muscle layers within the muscularis externa do to cause contraction behind the bolus?
circular muscle contracts (under ACh control)
longituidinal muscle relaxes (under VIP and NO control)
in peristalsis, what do muscle layers within the muscularis externa do to cause relaxation in front of the bolus?
circular muscle relaxes (under VIP and NO control)
longituidinal muscle contracts (under ACh control)
what is sementation?
rhythmic contractions of the circular muscle layer that mixes and divides luminal contents
where does segmentation occur?
in small intestine (fed state)
in large intestine
what is segmentation called within the large intestine?
haustration
what type of contractions do sphincter muscles of the GI tract go through?
tonic contractions
how does segmentation occur?
circular muscle layer is contracted at 2 points
between these 2 points the muscle is relaxed
why does a sphincter open?
if proximal pressure is greater than distal pressure
what are the 6 sphincter of the GI tract? (excluding sphincter of oddi)
upper oesophageal sphincter lower oesophageal sphincter pyloric sphincter ileocecal sphicter internal anal sphincter external anal sphincter
why does vomiting cause the reflux of duodenal gastric contents?
vomitting relaxes the pyloric sphincter
why does the upper oesophageal sphincter close during inspiration?
to prevent large amounts of air entering the oesophagus
what disease occurs in the lower oesophageal sphincter doesn’t function properly?
gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
what is the function of the palate of the mouth?
separates mouth from nasal passages to allow breathing and chewing simultaneously
what is the function of the uvula?
helps seal off nasal passages during swallowing
what is the function of the tongue?
guides food, important in speech and swallowing, major location of taste buds
what are the tonsils on the side walls of the pharynx?
lymphoid tissues
what is mastication?
chewing
what is the function of the masseteric reflex?
jaw opening
what is the function of the diagastric reflex?
jaw closing
what stimulates the pharyngeal receptors to send an afferent impulse to the swallowing centre in the medulla?
pressure from the food bolus
what happens to the soft palate, tongue, uvula during swallowing and why?
soft palate raises
tongue presses against the hard palate
uvula presses against back of throat
(to prevent food entering nasal passages)
what happens to the larynx, epiglottis, vocal cords during swallowing and why?
larynx elevates
epiglottis tilts
vocal cords close across the larynx opening
(to prevent food entering the trachea)
what centre in the brain does the swallowing centre inhibit during swallowing and why?
the respiratory centre
to prevent food entering the trachea
where is the swallowing centre within the brain?
medulla oblongata
once the food bolus has entered the oesophagus, what triggers the closure of the upper oesophageal sphincter?
swallowing centre
what do local pressure receptors within the oesophagus stimulate when food has become lodged?
stimulate a secondary peristaltic wave (more forceful than primary)
increase saliva production
what are the 3 major salivary glands that saliva is secreted from?
parotid gland
submandibular gland
sublinual gland
what are the 6 important functions of saliva?
lubrication solvent antibacterial digestion of complex carbohydrates neutralisation of acid facilitates sucking by infants
what is the solvent function of saliva important for?
taste
what 3 important antibacterial substances does saliva contain?
lysozyme
lactoferrin
immunoglobulins
what is the job of lactoferrin?
binds iron needed for bacterial replication
what important salivary substance is important in the digestion of complex carbohydrates?
amylase
what important salivary substance is important in the neutralisation of acid?
bicarbonate
how does saliva facilitate sucking by infants?
fluid seal
what are the 2 stages of the formation of saliva?
primary secretion
secondary modification
what cells are important in the primary secretion phase of saliva formation?
acinus
what cells are important int he secondary modification phase of saliva formation?
duct cells
what occurs in the primary secretion phase of saliva formation?
acinus cells produce a primary secretion with Na+, K+, Cl- and HCO3- content similar to plasma, plus mucus and amylase
what occurs in the secondary modification phase of saliva formation?
duct cell modify acinus secretion by removing Na+ and Cl- (and to a lesser extent adding K+ and HCO3-)
there is no movement of H2O, but there is an overal diluting phase
why is there no movement of water in the secondary modification phase of saliva formation?
epithelium is impermeable to water
why is important that the NaCL content of saliva is much lower than plasma?
to allow detection of salty taste
as the flow rate of saliva increases, what happens to the concentration of HCO3- within it?
as saliva flow rate increases HCO3- content of saliva increases
what are the 2 types of reflexes which increase the rate of saliva formation?
simple reflex (saliva increased in response to food in mouth) conditioned reflex (saliva increased in response to a certain stimuli which suggests food is coming-acquired)
in normal saliva production which section of the autonomic nervous system has a dominant role?
parasympathetic stimulation
what type of saliva is produced when parasympathetic stimulation has a dominant role?
a large volume of enzyme rich, watery saliva
what receptors mediate the parasympathetic control on saliva production?
M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors
during stressful times which section of the autonomic nervous system has dominant control?
sympathetic system
what type of saliva is produced when sympathetic stimulation has a dominant role?
a small volume of mucus rich, thick saliva
what receptors mediate the sympathetic control on saliva production?
B1-adrenoceptors
what are the 4 main areas of the stomach?
fundus
body
antrum
pylorus
what happen to the rugae when the stomah fills up?
they smooth out
what is retropulsion with respects to the mixing of contents in the stomach?
food in the body of the stomach is propelled forward by peristaltic waves. chyme hits the pyloric area and bounces back
what hormone stimulated the release of HCl?
gastrin
how can duodenum delay emptying?
neuronal response
hormonal responce
what is the function of the enterogastric reflex?
decreases antral peristaltic activity to delay emptying of the stomach
what does the release of enterogastrones (secretin, CCK) from the duodenum do to the emptying of the stomach?
release of enterogastrones inhibit stomach contraction and so delay emptying of the stomach
what 4 things within the duodenum drive neuronal and hormonal responses to delay gastric emptying?
fat
acid
hypertonicity
distension
what major secreting cells are within the pyloric gland area (PGA) in the antrum of the stomach?
D cells
G cells
mucosal cells
what do D cells within the pyloric gland area in the antrum of the stomach secrete?
somatostatin
what do G cells within the pyloric gland area in the antrum of the stomach secrete?
gastrin
what secreting cells are within the oxyntic mucosa (OM) in the fundus and body of the stomach?
chief cells
enterochromaffin-like cells
parietal cells
what do chief cells within the oxyntic mucosa in the fundus and body of the stomach secrete?
pepsinogen
what do enterochromaffin-like cells within the oxyntic mucosa in the fundus and body of the stomach secrete?
histamine
what do parietal cells within the oxyntic mucosa in the fundus and the body of the stomach secrete?
hydrocholic acid
intrinsic factpr
what is the function of HCl secreted from parietal cells of the oxyntic mucosa?
- activates pepsinogen to pepsin
- denatures protein
- kills most micro-organisms
what is the function of pepsinogen secreted from chief cells of the oxyntic mucosa?
inactive precursor of pepsin
once pepsin is formed it is autocatalytic and so activated pepsinogen
what is the function of intrinsic factor secreted from parietal cells of the oxyntic mucosa?
binds to vitamin B12 allowing absorption in terminal ileum
what is the function of histamine secreted from enterochromaffin-like cells of the oxyntic mucosa?
stimulates HCl secretion from parietal cells
what is the function of gastrin secreted from the G cells of the pyloric gland area?
stimulates HCl secretion from parietal cells
stimulates histamine production from enterochromaffin-like cells
what is the function of somatostatin secreted from D cells of the pyloric gland area?
inhibits secretion of gastrin from G cells to decrease HCl production from parietal cells
why is somatostain important?
reduced concentrations of acid going into the duodenum
what is the function of mucus secreted from mucosal cells of the pyloric gland area?
protect the mucosa
otherwise ulcers can form
what type of secretions are somatostatin and gastrin?
endocrine (into blood stream)
what is the function of prostaglandin (PGE2) on parietal cells?
inhibits parietal cell secretions
what is the effect of cholinergic stimulation of M1 receptors on enterochromaffin-like cells?
increase histamine secretion
what is the effect of cholinergic simulation of M3 receptors on parietal cells?
increase HCl secretion
where are the ion ATPase pumps in a resting parietal cell?
within cytoplasmic tubulovesicles
where are the ion ATPase pumps in a stimulated parietal cell?
they trafficked to the apical membrane and sit in the extended microvilli
what are the 3 phases of gastric secretion?
cephalic
gastric
intestinal
when is the cephalic phase of gastric secretion?
before food reaches the stomach
when is the gastric phase of gastric secretion?
when food is in the stomach
when is the intestinal phase of gastric secretion?
after food has left the stomach
what is the effect of cholinergic simulation of M receptors on D cells?
decreased somatostatin production
what is the main effect off the intestinal phase on acid secretion?
switches it off
what 3 classes of drugs decrease hydrochloric acid secretion?
muscarinic receptor competitive antagonists (no longer used)
H2 histamine receptor competitive antagonists
Proton-pump inhibitors
how do proton-pump inhibitors work?
covelent modification of a K+/H+ ATPase on the apical membrane of parietal cells
what class of drugs increases hydrochloric acid secretion?
NSAIDs (eg aspirin, ibuprofen etc)
how do NSAIDs work to increase HCl secretion?
by blocking COX irreversibly which results in decreased prostaglandins
what is the function of PGE2 and PGI2 in the stomach? (locally produced prostaglandins)
reduced acid secretion
increase mucus secretion
increase bicarbonate secretions
increase mucosal blood flow
what 2 things can NSAIDs trigger due to the fact they reduce prostaglandins?
ulceration
bleeding
how can gastric damage due to long-term NSAID treatment be prevented?
using a stable PGE1 analogue (eg misoprostol)
what do PGE1 analogues do?
inhibit basal and food-stimulated gastric acid formation
maintains/increases secretion of mucus and bicarbonate
what bacterium can cause chronic infection of the gastric antrum and is associated with peptic ulcers?
Helicobacter pylori
why does H. pylori predispose to peptic ulcers?
causes persistent inflammation that weakens the mucosal barrier leaving the submucosa subject to attack by HCl and pepsin
why are PPIs called prodrugs?
because they are inactive at neutral pH but change conformation in a strongly acidic environment
how do PPI’s get to the secretory cannaliculi?
absorbed from the GI tract and delivered via the systemic circulation
what are ranitidine and cimetidine?
H2 receptor antagonists
how are H2 receptor antagonists administered?
PO
what is sucralfate?
a mucosal strengthener
what is bismuth chealate?
a mucosal strengthener which is also toxic towards H. pylori
what drug is bismuth chealate usually administered with?
ranitidine
what type of carbohydrates are indigestible in humans?
cellulose
what are the 2 sub-groups of starch?
amylose
amylopectin
what type of carbohydrates are sucrose and lactose?
disaccharides
what endogenous sources of proteins are also ingested?
digestive enzymes (ie once role has been fufilled) and dead cells from GI tract
what are the 3 main digestive processes that occur in the small intestine?
luminal digestion
membrane/brush border digestion
intracellular digestion (in enterocyte)
what is luminal digestion in the small intestine mediated by?
pancreatic enzymes secreted into the duodenum
what is membrane/brush border digestion in the small intestine mediated by?
enzymes situated at the brush border of enterocytes
what are enterocytes?
absorptive cells of the intestinal epithelium
assimilation =
digestion + absorption
what is the movement of substances across the epithelial tight junctions called?
paracellular movement
what is the movement of sybstances through enterocytes called?
intracellular movement